Murphy Adds Neely and Frid to Signing Class

"We are excited to add not only talented basketball players, but high character young men," said head coach Jack Murphy. "Both Geoff and Jaleni will continue our effort of finding hard working, driven young men that are excited about being Lumberjacks."

Neely, a 6-foot product from Chicago by the way of Simeon HS gives NAU added depth at the guard position. He helped the Wolverines win three Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 4 State Championships and two city titles, while playing alongside projected NBA lottery pick Jabari Parker. Neely played this past season at the College of Eastern Utah where he averaged 14.4 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game, en route to earning Scenic West Athletic Conference second team honors. Neely helped his team to 21 victories, in addition to earning SWAC and NJCAA Region 18 All-Tournament team accolades.

"First and foremost Jaleni is a winner," said assistant coach Wes Pifer. "From his state championships in high school, to helping his junior college team win 21 games, Jaleni has shown the ability to win on different levels. He's a pure point guard who has the ability to beat people off the dribble and create for himself and his teammates. Jaleni is a high character student-athlete, who fits perfectly in our program. We welcome him to the Lumberjack family."

Frid is a 7-foot-1 center out of Carlsbad, Calif. He redshirted his first year at California-Berkeley, before transferring to MiraCosta College. Frid, a First Team All-Pacific Coast Athletic Conference honoree, averaged 13.0 points per game overall and 16.0 points in conference play. He also averaged 10.0 rebounds per game. The big man had a season-high 28 points, and grabbed 16 rebounds twice.

"We're really excited about the addition of Geoffrey Frid to our program," said assistant coach Vic Sfera. "Geoff is a bright young man who will represent our team very well both on and off the court for the next three years. He's coming to us from MiraCosta College where he played for a terrific coach in Pat Conahan, who has really helped Geoff make tremendous strides in his development. We cannot wait to get him on campus and keep that momentum going because his best basketball is still ahead of him and the sky is the limit for him."

Neely and Frid join Tate de Laveaga, a 6-foot-3 guard out of Scottsdale that signed with NAU during the early signing period.